Microsoft Excel is about numbers, formulas, and calculations. It’s one of the most powerful applications Microsoft has ever developed.

But no matter how long you’ve used Microsoft Excel for Windows, you’ve probably developed habitual methods of doing things in worksheets, things that relate to how your numbers and cells are managed. Often, the methods you use don’t represent the most efficient solutions.

Here, then, are some great tips that can improve your productivity by speeding up common and uncommon operations in Excel. These tips work in all versions of Excel.
Add Checkmarks to Your Worksheet

Checklists are very useful tools, and Excel is ideal for creating them. Getting a checkmark into a cell, though, can be a tough job. In fact, unless you already know how to put a checkmark into a cell, it's almost impossible to figure it out. Here's a very simple method, and one that few users know.

1. Click in the cell where you want a checkmark or select a column where checkmarks will appear.2. Drop down the font list, and select Wingdings 2.3. Click in the desired cell, if you've changed the font for an entire column.4. For a plain checkmark, press Shift-P. For a checkmark inside a box, press Shift-R.5. Adjust the font size, if you want the checkmark to appear larger, or boldface it if you want to add emphasis.6. Repeat as needed to insert checkmarks in other cells..

Bonus: This technique can be used to create checkmarks in any Windows application that allows you to select fonts for text.

Select Large Ranges Quickly

The usual click-and-drag technique for selecting a range in Excel is great -- until you have a large range you need to select, especially a range that doesn't show up on a single screen. Here's a better way to select large ranges quickly and accurately.

1. Click in the top left cell of the desired range.2. Use your mouse and scroll bars to scroll until the lower right cell is visible.3. Hold down Shift, and then click the bottom right cell of the desired range.

Bonus: Use the same technique to select anything in any Windows program, from text in a document to items in a list.

Select Non-Adjacent Cells

When formatting or performing calculations, you can save time by selecting several cells, no matter where they appear on the worksheet. For example, if you need to change the font of a group of non-adjacent cells, it's time-consuming to do the operation for each cell. Here's the easy way.

1. Click in the first cell to select it.2. Hold down Ctrl, and then click in other cells you want to select.3. Perform the desired operation.

Move A Worksheet Range to A Word Document

If you need to place a selected range of data from your worksheet into a Word document, it's a simple process. Further, you retain all formatting.

The contents of the selected range become a table in Word, so you can use Word's Table features to add rows and columns or to reformat the range.

1. With both the Excel worksheet and Word document open, select the desired range in Excel.2. Press Ctrl-C to copy the range to the clipboard.3. Switch to the Word document and position the insertion point where you want the table to appear.4. Press Ctrl-V to insert your range as a Word Table.5. Use Word's Table tools to add rows and columns for labels and to format the table.

Note: Data moved in this way is static, and will not change if the worksheet changes.

Top Ten Excel Keyboard Shortcuts

There are a few keyboard shortcuts in Excel that can save valuable minutes over using menus and other techniques to perform common operations. Increase your productivity by learning and using this top ten list.

1. To select the entire worksheet for global formatting, press Ctrl-A.2. To save the worksheet without taking your hands off the keyboard, press Ctrl-S.3. After scrolling away from an active cell, press Ctrl-Backspace to jump back to it.4. To create a chart instantly from a selected range, press F11. Right click the chart to format it.5. To select all cells referred to in the formula in the active cell, press Ctrl- [.6. To select all cells containing formulas that operate on data in the selected cell, press Ctrl-]. 7. To select all cells containing comments, press Ctrl-Shift-O (letter O).8. To insert rows or columns, or to shift cells, press Ctrl-Shift-+, then use arrow keys to make a selection in the pop-up dialog box. Press Enter to finish.9. To select and paste a named range into a formula, press F3, use arrow keys to select the name, then press Enter.10. The most important keyboard shortcut of all is Ctrl-Z, which undoes your last action. Don't panic; press Ctrl-Z.

Don't Forget Your Right Mouse Button

Whatever you want to do in the current cell, range of cells, chart, or other object, you'll almost certainly find it in the context menu that appears when you right click on the cell or range. Instead of moving the mouse pointer to a menu or tool bar, just right click. It can cut the time needed to do almost any task.

For example, to insert a comment in a cell, just right-click the cell, then click Insert Comment from the menu. This saves time, involves much less movement of the mouse, and causes less stress on your wrist.

Wheeling around Excel

Most people forget about the scroll wheel on their mouse. Using it to scroll around in your worksheet or in most other Windows applications saves time -- and keeps the carpal tunnel syndrome away. Just roll the wheel away from you to scroll up or toward you to scroll down.

You can also scroll in any direction by pressing down on the wheel and moving the mouse in the direction you want to scroll

To zoom your worksheet with the wheel, hold down Ctrl while rolling the wheel. If you need to see more of your worksheet, zoom out on it by holding down Ctrl while you roll the mouse wheel towards you. Zoom in by holding down Ctrl and rolling the mouse wheel away from you.

Quick Jumps You'll Use Constantly

A lot of time is wasted making big moves in large worksheets. The keyboard shortcuts below will cut down on slow mouse scrolling when you're making large jumps. In a day's work this can save several minutes.

To move to the top of the sheet, press Ctrl-Home.To move to the bottom of the sheet, press Ctrl-End. To move one screen to the right, press Alt-Page Down.To move one screen to the left, press Alt-Page Up.To move to the next workbook or window, press Ctrl-Tab.To move to the previous workbook or window, press Ctrl-Shift-Tab.

More Than Calculations

Excel, of course, excels at performing both simple and complex calculations, and makes your work with numbers much more palatable. If you take the time to learn the tools built in to help you navigate this invaluable tool, you’ll save time and frustration – and make the process of number-crunching more productive.

Kathy Yakal has been writing about personal and business technology since 1983, as an editor and writer at COMPUTE! Publications. She writes frequently for The Progressive Accountant on technology topics.She began freelancing and specializing in financial applications in 1988. Her columns, features, and reviews have appeared in publications including Barron’s, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, and PC Magazine.